Hurricane straps

[cobarr]

When did Florida building code change to require hurricane straps? The year it was enacted.

Thanks in advance for this information.

[Blaine Wiley]

I believe Charlotte county has required them since 97, and that comes from a friend of mine who is a roofing contractor, but he wasn't exactly sure.

Call Murdock and act like a homeowner. Ask them when it became a requirement. They hate talking to home inspectors!!

[dwatson1]

Hurricane straps were optional up until Andrew in 1992. Following that disaster, the straps were mandatory.

[cobarr]

Thanks for replies. An insurance agent who has referred homeowners to me for 4 point inspections asked me. Told her I would get back to her. I tried the county building department and was shuffled around and got nowhere. Then tried Tallahassee and was told to check with ICC and also Birmingham office of SBCCI. It must be a well guarded secret. I thought I read somewhere it was July 1, 2001 that it started being enforced. But when was the exact year the code was changed requiring hurricane straps for newly constructed homes in Florida... I'll keep trying.

[ccoombs]

This type of question is very difficult to answer. The codes are updated every three years. It takes about a year or so for a new code to be enforced. But it depends on when the jurisdiction actually started to enforce a new code requirement.

California is still using the 1997 code but each seminar cycle turns up new items to be enforced.....even after 9 years!

[cobarr]

The answer to the question is... depends on who you talk to.

Phil McMahan, the southern field office director for the ICC say's since before he started in the business. Which was 1982. He said the 2 gentlemen who started him off, (Ralph Jones & Bill Neese), wrote it into appendix d of the old std. building code.

Then of course the question: When did individual jurisdictions adopt it?
And for that matter, when was it actually enforced? Even though it may have been "on the books" for some time.

I don't believe there is one truly definitive answer.

I don't think I like researching code.

[cobarr]

I must be like a dog with a bone...can't leave it alone.
Hurricane straps as well as other construction features that help reduce damage from hurricanes statewide in Florida-2001 Florida Building Code. Effective March 1, 2002.
Exception-South Florida Building Code in Miami-Dade and Broward counties 1994.

[Robert J. OConnor]

There is no easy answer. In order to get a definitive answer to your question you would need to do quite a bit of research, including checking the historical building requirements at the local municipality you are interested in.

In 2001 Florida enacted a mandated uniform statewide building code for the first time, which was based on the 1997 Standard Building Code. Then in 2004 they switched to ICC based statewide building codes. Prior to 2001 there was only a very general state mandate from the 1970's that a local municipality adopt and enforce one of the nationwide model building codes (e.g. BOCA National Building Code, ICBO Uniform Building Code, SBCCI Standard Building Code).

Some of the older model building codes were more restrictive or direct than others, and some local municipalities had requirements that exceeded the model code requirements. In addition, some of the nationwide model codes had very indirect, vague, and/or buried structural requirements for houses. However, most of more recent model codes had some type of requirement for hurricane tie-downs in extreme high wind ares, although it may have been by indirect reference to something like ASCE-7 as a generally accepted engineering reference standard which would give roof/structure uplift loads. But very few homes were engineered, and there was a real lack of clear requirements that could be easily enforced consistently. Thats the biggest reason Florida switched to a uniform statewide code in 2001.

http://www.floridabuilding.org/BCISOld/bc/default.asp
http://www.dca.state.fl.us/fbc/infor...commission.htm
http://www.jupiter.fl.us/CodeEnforce...nforcement.cfm

You are probably better off using current construction standards as a guide, and let others make the call if an existing building complies with codes in effect at the time of construction or if structural upgrades are advisable for improved hurricane resistance if you suspect something doesn't look right.

JMO & 2-nickels ...